Japan Cup next stop for raiders

THE first three overseas-trained horses across the line in the Melbourne Cup have left Australia in search of further riches.

Third placegetter Jakkalberry, luckless Mount Athos and Ed Dunlop's Red Cadeaux will have their next start in the Japan Cup in Tokyo on November 25.

They departed the Werribee quarantine centre, home to a record number of internationals for the 2012 spring carnival, on Tuesday.

Mount Athos, who raced wide before his fifth placing to Green Moon in the Melbourne Cup, will be accompanied on his flight to Japan by trainer Luca Cumani's travelling foreman, Charlie Henson.

Advertisement

''The Cup, from our point of view, was obviously disappointing because Mount Athos was flying at the end and just ran out of time,'' Henson said.

Red Cadeaux, beaten by a nose in the 2011 Cup, leaves Australia after finishing eighth this year.

The 2011 Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden will remain at Werribee until November 25.

The French stayer, who finished 14th as favourite last week, will have his next start in Hong Kong.

He will head to the Asian racing stronghold with the Cumani-trained My Quest For Peace where they will race in next month's Hong Kong Vase, a race Dunaden won last year.

■The versatility of three-year-old Tatra gives him a slight edge over stablemate Proverb as they aim to improve on trainer Peter Snowden's excellent record in the group 2 Sandown Guineas.

Snowden won the race with Caymans (2008) and Kidnapped (2009) before Chasse was second in 2010 and Galah was beaten in a three-way photo finish in 2011.

Tatra and Proverb head into the end-of-carnival feature on Saturday on the back of last-start placings in the listed Carbine Club Stakes and can't be faulted, according to assistant trainer Paul Snowden.

He believes both colts have ''great chances'' but Tatra is the more versatile of the pair.

''The one thing with Proverb is that you can't put him into a spot,'' Paul Snowden said. ''We've tried to ride him more forward and he doesn't have the finishing burst as he has when he's ridden quieter.

''We're still going to ride him where he's comfortable early, whereas Tatra has a bit more adaptability and can lead or sit off the pace.

''But they are both good chances and are certainly going very well.''

An early campaign setback in Sydney ended hopes of Tatra contesting the group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m), with Peter Snowden shifting his focus to Melbourne with the colt.

''He came down from Sydney in good form but raced really poorly in his first start here [in the UCI Stakes],'' Paul Snowden said. ''He was on the wrong leg and wanted to hang so we freshened him up again ahead of his last start and he's never looked better and has never been going any better.''